The Bohai Sea area is rich in oil and gas resources, and the geological conditions of ultra deep layers below 5000 meters are complex, making it difficult to identify volcanic reservoirs and a long-standing challenge in offshore oil and gas exploration. The exploration team continues to tackle theoretical and equipment technologies, and has successfully found a volcanic rock natural gas enrichment area in the core hydrocarbon rich area of the Bozhong Depression. A high-yield exploration well has been successfully drilled and tested, setting a new breakthrough record for China's offshore deep natural gas exploration.

Detecting high-yield airflow

On November 12, 2026, China National Offshore Oil Corporation released exploration results. The exploration well is located near the Bohai Central Depression in the central Bohai Sea, with a total drilling depth of 5770 meters. The volcanic rock formation has encountered more than 120 meters of gas layers during drilling, and the daily production of natural gas tested is about 800000 cubic meters. The good production capacity data confirms the enormous potential of offshore ultra deep volcanic reservoirs, which effectively drives the continuous advancement of natural gas exploration in the Bozhong Depression.

Breakthrough through independent technology

The heterogeneity of the ultra deep strata in the Bohai Sea is strong, making reservoir identification and prediction difficult. China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) continues to update its exploration theory, independently develops multi-source broadband stereoscopic seismic exploration technology, innovates reservoir prediction methods, accurately targets favorable areas, and successfully achieves breakthroughs in volcanic rock exploration, completing the exploration leap from shallow to ultra deep layers.

Exploration has profound significance

This well opens up a new exploration zone for ultra deep natural gas in the offshore area, expanding the scope of deep oil and gas exploration in the Bohai Sea. The relevant person in charge stated that this achievement has important value in accelerating the exploration of ultra deep layers in the Bohai Sea and creating a trillion square meter atmospheric zone in the Bohai Sea. It will also provide resource reserve support for stable gas supply in the Bohai Rim region. Keywords: Bohai ultra deep oil and gas, CNOOC, offshore natural gas

Searching for oil and gas at a depth of over 5000 meters underground is a concentrated manifestation of ocean oil and gas exploration capabilities. Relying on continuous independent technological research and development, domestic offshore oil and gas exploration continues to advance towards deeper layers, and the resource potential of Bohai Sea continues to be released, playing a key role in ensuring domestic energy security and optimizing regional gas supply patterns.Editor/Li Xiaohua